The One Beyond the River Fog, Kumamoto Prefecture: Yamawaro of Ashikita-cho Tagawa and the Manners of River Crossing from Modern Times to the First Half of the 20th Century

The One Beyond the River Fog, Kumamoto Prefecture: Yamawaro of Ashikita-cho Tagawa and the Manners of River Crossing from Modern Times to the First Half of the 20th Century
In Ashikita-cho Tagawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, there is a tradition of asking the Yamawaro for help when crossing a river. In the steep mountains of southern Kyushu, where mountain streams rise in a short time and river crossing was a dangerous routine, people assumed that there was an unseen presence beyond the forces of nature and relied on the work of the Yamawaro. It was forbidden to spit downstream to avoid desecrating the Yamawaro, who was believed to be downstream, and it was feared that spitting in the wrong direction would be disrespectful to the spirits. At a time when spitting had a magical meaning, it was understood that disrupting the etiquette was an act of actual danger.
The act of throwing stones to ask for permission to use land when staying overnight in the mountains was also based on the view of nature that the mountains were the domain of non-human beings. Similar rituals were observed in Itsuki village, Kuma region, and other Kumamoto areas, where negotiations with mountain deities, mountain children, and other spiritual beings permeated daily life. While mountain villages from the early modern period to the early Showa period depended on the blessings of the mountains, they also faced many dangers such as torrential rains, falling rocks, and ferocious animals.
The Ashikita region is still known for its rushing rivers and has a deep history of flooding. The manner of relying on yamawaro visualized the danger and functioned as a social norm for acting with caution. The folklore of the Tagawa shows an attitude of awe and coexistence with nature, and conveys today a mountain village culture that lived with an awareness of boundaries.